Saturday, 19 June 2010

Raspberry, lime and kirsch sorbet and a culinary present

My Greek friend Eleni, whom I know since childhood, recently came to visit us in London, and being a foodie herself she brought me this amazing culinary gift, a necklace with a little cooking pot, fork and spoon. I thought it was adorable and I had to share it with you here! It seems Greek artists/jewellers are becoming more and more inventive, and my friend told me that she also bought a similarly-themed ring for herself (can't wait to see it when I next go to Athens!).



While Eleni was here, she indulged in her love of "fruit-that-can-not-be-found-in-Greece", meaning raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and so on, but her definite favourite being raspberries, and having just bought a brand new ice cream machine, I got inspired and made my first ice cream creation - a raspberry sorbet.



Sorbets are quite basic recipe-wise, and usually consist of three ingredients, water, sugar and the fruit of choice. I wanted this to be a bit more exciting than plain raspberry-flavoured, so I infused the sugar syrup with some lime zest and added some fruity alcohol for an extra bit of yum! Since raspberries are in season, I managed to find some overripe ones in the "reduced to clear" section of my supermarket, and grabbed two packs for 60p each! It worked even better for me, as the raspberries were as ripe as I wanted them (a bit too ripe to eat perhaps, but perfect for mashing) and the sorbet ended up being much cheaper and of course much tastier than shop-bought. I was really happy when my friend's husband-to-be told me it was even better than the one he had in Scoop, which I consider one of the best places to have ice cream in London. (By the way, they need to update their website with the calendar for the 2010 events, as we went there for the "molecular gelato" day and were a bit disappointed that there was no Heston Blumenthalesque shenanigans going on.


All in all this took me about an hour to make, 30 minutes preparation and 30 minutes in the ice cream machine. It was extremely good, probably the best sorbet I've tried in my life and it disappeared very quickly. The ice cream machine I got was a bit expensive (about £60 including postage), but if you love ice cream and sorbets it's worth investing in one. The freshness of the ice cream is incomparable, and you can make whatever flavours you like, without being restricted by the limited variety of shop-bought ones. Now that I got the hang of it, prepare for a summer of sorbet and ice cream posts, I can't praise this machine enough!



Raspberry, lime and kirsch sorbet
Source: dulcis in fundo

Makes about 800ml

  • 190g sugar
  • 200g water
  • 300g ripe raspberries
  • 3 big chunks of lime peel (equal to the peel of 1/3 of a lime)
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • A big glug of kirsch (according to taste, I put 5 tbsp in mine)

Put the water, sugar and lime peel in a saucepan and warm up until the sugar has melted. Boil for 1 minute and set aside to cool. After it's cooled a bit add the lime juice, move it to a suitable container (I use a plastic measuring jug) and put it in the freezer, so it can cool quickly.

Clean the raspberries of any "bad" bits (if required) and wash thoroughly. Put in a blender and liquidise. Pass through a thin sieve, squishing out all the flesh with a spoon and scraping around until only the seeds are left. A lot of recipes skip this step and put the raspberries whole, but I think it's really worth going the extra mile, as the seedless sorbets are so much smoother and melt-in-the-mouth than the ones containing seeds.

Remove the lime peel from the sugar syrup and add the raspberry pulp and kirsch. Put in the freezer again until cool. Pour into your ice cream machine, or if you don't have one (and it's definitely worth the money if you like ice cream and sorbets, trust me!) put in a freezable container (preferably metal) and freeze for 1 hour, then take out, squash with a fork and refreeze, repeating the process every half an hour or so.

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Wednesday, 16 June 2010

Limoncello soufflés

Successful soufflés are notoriously difficult to achieve, or at least that is the common consensus. Being a bit of a baking wimp, I had never attempted one before, as I thought they would take ages to make, require very precise timings and oven temperatures (and my oven is so temperamental that even "easy" things sometimes go all pear shaped, or watermelon-shaped, or pretty-much-anything-shaped!) and in general are too much hassle for the amount of enjoyment you get out of them. That was before I came across this recipe for an "easy" version of a classic lemon soufflé, with an added alcoholic twist.


Now Limoncello is one of those things that I really really love. I'm not a huge alcohol fan (at least not "in a drinking in a glass kinda way", we'll talk later about the "in a baking/cooking kinda way") but this is one of my all-time alcoholic favourites. It also somehow represents summer in my head, it's definitely not something I would have in the winter, it just says "sun, sun, sun, sitting on a patio, being on an island or lost in an alley somewhere in Italy". Having been confined to not-so-sunny London without a single day of holiday in the last 6 months, my withdrawal-symptom count is high, and as an islander I try to steal every bit of sunshine I can, even when it's in the form of a small, partially inflated Limoncello soufflé! True to its name, this is quick, easy, and works, although by the time I managed to take some good photos my little pots had deflated a little. Keep in the fridge until the time to serve, then pop in the oven and EAT IMMEDIATELY! They're extremely light and airy, and lovely for a warm summer evening...


Limoncello soufflé
Source: Sainsbury's magazine (December 2007)

Serves 8

  • A little butter, for greasing
  • 325g jar lemon curd (buy the best quality you can find)
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 6 large egg whites
  • 1 pinch cream of tartar
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp Limoncello liqueur
  • Some icing sugar, sifted, for dusting

Preheat oven to 200°C. Generously butter the ramekins or dishes and put them on a baking tray in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small pan, warm the lemon curd with the lemon zest, then remove from the heat. In a large clean bowl whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff, then whisk in the sugar, half at a time, until glossy. Mix the Limoncello into the lemon curd, then gradually fold it into the egg whites.

Spoon the mixture into the dishes and smooth off using a spatula. Run the end of a teaspoon around the inside rim of each dish − this helps the soufflés to rise evenly. Bake them for 12 minutes, dust them with icing sugar and serve immediately.

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Wednesday, 9 June 2010

Chocolate sponge cake with almond crunch

There are some cakes that remind us of our childhood, cool spring evenings, the weeks leading to the summer school holidays, our birthday parties, visits to family, dipping fingers on chocolate glaze and being told off that the top of the cake will look ruined...

This is one of this kind of cakes. The recipe comes from my aunt, who always made amazing things for us ever since my childhood, and the times I visited her house we always gathered in the kitchen, playing on the kitchen table while something delicious was baking/cooking/being prepared. It's an extremely simple concept for a cake, but surprisingly delicious. We call this a "pot cake" in Greece, since you don't need a mixer or any big bowls to make it, pretty much everything is made in a big deep saucepan, the same one my aunt would use to boil her pasta.



When I moved to the UK in 2001 I came to do an MA, and in my University Accommodation kitchen I realised after a few months that I couldn't do without some sort of baking fix. Having discovered that the super-advanced microwave doubled up as a convection oven (4 months after moving to the place, thanks to some helpful past resident who conveniently had thrown the instructions behind a cupboard...) I started with pizza doughs, quiches, and other savoury concoctions, but I still couldn't do cakes without the much-required electric mixer that my student budget couldn't cover.



And then I remembered the "pot cake". Not surprisingly, my announcement raised a lot of excitement in the shared kitchen, as everyone took the "pot cake" to be some advanced version of hash brownies, getting initially disappointed at the lack of "extra oomph" they were expecting, but even so it was a huge success and I was asked to make it again and again to cover the needs of all my homemade-cake-starved fellow flat-sharers. This is still one of the cakes that I make frequently (9 years after having passed through at least 3 generations of mixers) and people always ask me for the recipe. It's simple, it's easy, it never fails, and its taste makes everyone think that it's far more complicated to make than it truly is. Try it and let me know what you think, it will make my aunt (now that she's in her 60s) happy to know that people she's never met are enjoying her recipe in foreign lands...



Chocolate sponge cake with almond crunch
Source: Passed down from my aunt

  • 1¼ glasses sugar
  • 6 tbsp water
  • 2½ tbsp cocoa powder
  • ¾ glass plain flour
  • 125gr butter
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup of blanched almonds

Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a deep saucepan mix the water with the sugar and cocoa powder and simmer gently, stirring constantly. As soon as the sugar has melted add the butter and mix until melted. Leave aside to cool slightly.

Separate the eggs, keeping the egg whites and yolks in separate bowls. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks and mix thoroughly into the slightly cooled chocolate mix. Keep one cup of the mix in the fridge.

In another bowl beat the egg whites into a meringue. Fold the egg whites softly but quickly into the chocolate mixture, gradually adding the flour, vanilla extract and baking powder. Pour into a round 20cm spring-form tin and bake for 30 minutes.

In the meantime chop the almonds in small pieces and fry in a pan over medium heat until browned. When the cake is ready and still warm take the cup of chocolate mixture out of the fridge and spoon it evenly over the top. You have to do this while the cake is still warm, so that the chocolate mixture will melt slightly but stick to the top. Finally sprinkle with the toasted almonds, lightly pressing them into the chocolate coating.

Almonds on Foodista

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Wednesday, 2 June 2010

Salmon with green pesto and parmesan crust

As a Greek, and especially a Greek who comes from an island (Milos for those who are curious) I learnt to swim (or at least float!) before I learnt how to walk and tried my first fish well before I first talked. While a great variety of fish can be found in the Greek islands, there are some that I would have never discovered if I hadn't left my country. One of them being my beloved salmon.



Although nowadays salmon is widely available, the Greeks' obsession with only cooking fish by grilling it (or baking it whole in the oven) with just olive oil and lemon, can sometimes prove disastrous. The only time I had tried it in Greece, it was (over)cooked plain as it was (with nada, maybe just a minuscule amount of salt) in the oven, which resulted in a total mess of a pinky-coloured shoe-sole. Hence my distrust of salmon and a resolution to never have it again in Greece. However, when I moved to the UK I discovered a whole new salmony world, waiting to be eaten in cuisines from Japanese to Indian, and have been a devoted fan ever since.

Along with teriyaki-style sauces, this is my other favourite way of having salmon. Simple sometimes is best, and although this implies the mixing of a few ingredients, it's a very quick dish that I love making after a long day at work, and the best thing is that it can cook while I'm taking a shower! I had found this recipe by Delia a long time ago, and have adapted it many times and in many different ways, finally finding the perfect version for me. I recommend it with some roast potatoes (see below for my quick and easy favourite!) but it works equally well with a rocket, parmesan and pine nut salad (drizzle with some olive oil and lemon and add some freshly ground black pepper on top).



Salmon with pesto and parmesan crust
Source: Adapted from Delia Smith

Serves 2

  • 2 salmon fillets, skinned
  • 2-3 tbsp grated Parmesan
  • 2 tbsp fresh green pesto
  • The juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs (I used dried Panko Japanese breadcrumbs, which I swear by)
  • Pinch of sea salt 
  • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

For the potatoes

  • 400-500gr baby new potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-3 chunks each
  • A few glugs of olive oil
  • Pinch of salt (Roast potatoes become amazing with black lava salt, which I get from Whole Foods)
  • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp rosemary or other dried herbs (I love using ASDA's Tuscan style rub)

Preheat the oven to 230°C. Place the cut potatoes in a baking tray with a few good glugs of olive oil, and season with salt, pepper and the herbs. Cook for 35-40 min, stirring them around a few times. 

In the meantime, place the fillets on a lightly oiled baking tray and give each one a good squeeze of lemon juice and a seasoning of salt and pepper.

Next, give the pesto a good stir and measure 2 tablespoons into a small bowl, mix one-third of the breadcrumbs with it to form a paste and spread this over both fish fillets. Then, mix half the cheese with the remaining breadcrumbs and scatter this over the pesto, then finish off with the remaining cheese.

After the potatoes have been baking for 25-30 minutes, place the baking tray with the salmon on the middle or top shelf of the oven (move the potatoes to a lower shelf) and cook for 10 minutes, by which time the top should be golden brown and crispy and the salmon just cooked and moist and the potatoes ready.

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Saturday, 29 May 2010

Cinnamon Banana Bread

Although I never was a big fan of bananas as a fruit on its own, there's something about the combination of banana and cinnamon that just says "yuuummmm..." to me. My partner also loves banana bread and banana cake, so much that if I ever ask him "I'll make cake, what kind do you want?" the only thing he will say is "banaaaaaaaaaana cake". I've tried many recipes in the past, both my own inventions and other people's with varying levels of success. Usually it either doesn't taste enough like banana, or stops being moist after a couple of days, or becomes really stodgy and not so light (depending on the density of the banana pulp and the amount used).


From previous posts you will have noticed my recent obsession with Harry Eastwood's Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache, and this is one more recipe from this inventive book, this time using courgette as the vegetable of choice. The cake came out great, very light and fluffy, and of course (as with all the other vegetable-based cakes in the book) it didn't taste at all like courgette! And it also stayed moist for quite a while (although it disappeared so quickly I can't really say how long it would have potentially stayed moist for...).


Cinnamon Banana Bread
Source: Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache

  • 140g banana (peeled weight, about 1-1.5 large ones)
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 140g golden caster sugar
  • 150g topped, tailed, peeled and finely grated courgettes/zucchinis
  • 150g rice flour (I used plain flour)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp mixed spice
  • 25g finely chopped brazil nuts (I only used pecan nuts, and doubled their quantity)
  • 25g finely chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Brush the inside of a 19cm x 12cm x 8 cm loaf tin with a little vegetable oil or butter.

Mash the banana thoroughly with a fork or potato masher.

In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs and sugar for a full 3 minutes until pale and light. Whisk in the mashed-up banana until completely incorporated and then add the grated courgette and beat again. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon and mixed spice, and whisk again until completely blended.

Finally, mix in most of the brazil nuts and pecans with a spatula and pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the remaining nuts over the top and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.

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